The World Barista Championships

The time has finally come for the World Barista Championships (WBCs) taking place in conjunction with the SCAA show in Atlanta starting April 16th! Here is a quick press release on the event: For Immediate Release Contact: Andrew Hetzel Phone: +1 (808) 990-8717 E-mail: ahetzel@cafemakers.com 52 Nations to Compete at 2009 World Barista Championship in Atlanta ATLANTA, GA (April 10, 2009) – The world’s best baristas representing 52 nations will converge in Atlanta next week to compete at the 10th annual World Barista Championship (WBC) in front of a live and online audience of spectators around the globe. In three days of preliminary round competition at the Georgia World Congress Center beginning on April 16th, each competitor will prepare 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 original signature drinks to exacting standards in a 15-minute performance set to music. Seven WBC Certified Judges from an international pool of 45 will evaluate each performance, including the taste of beverages served, cleanliness, creativity, technical skill and overall presentation of the competitors. The top 6 competitors from round one will advance to a final round of competition beginning at Noon on Sunday, April 19th. One winner will be named 2009 World Barista Champion in an award ceremony immediately following the competition. The public is invited to taste beverages prepared to the standards of barista champions at 3 complimentary espresso bar stations inspired by 2008 World Barista Champion Stephen Morrissey of Ireland and sponsored by Daterra Coffee. Admission to the competition is free. A live video broadcast from the event and link to the official WBC blog sponsored by Barista Magazine can be found on the World Barista Championship website at www.worldbaristachampionship.com. About the World Barista Championship Jointly owned by the Specialty Coffee Associations of America (SCAA) and Europe (SCAE), the World Barista Championship is the world’s premier coffee competition. The first WBC competition took place in Monte Carlo in October 2000 and has since held annual competitions Miami, Oslo, Boston, Trieste, Seattle, Berne, Tokyo and Copenhagen. This year’s event is held in conjunction with the 2009 SCAA Annual Symposium and Exposition and sponsored by DaVinci Gourmet syrups, Nuova Simonelli, espresso machines, Mahlkoenig grinders, Urnex cleaning products and Everpure water treatment solutions. This is one of those times that I have a hard time stepping away from Ustream - the site that you can watch it all live from anywhere with an internet connection! You have never seen a barista competition? Here is the video from last year's winner: Stephen Morrissey, 2008 World Barista Champion from nick cho on Vimeo. You can also get a full slate of "live posts" from the event over Pasteboard - the blog of Barista Magazine. I will talk more about this coming up.. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke catering, Oklahoma City, coffee catering, WBC Add us on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter!